Sondra Simpson
Sondra Simpson, Ed.D., MBA
Associate Professor, Marketing; Director, Elmhurst Management Program (Business Adminstration)
A seasoned executive in innovation, change and brand management, Soni Simpson has a proven track record of growing multi-million dollar businesses in highly competitive industries.
Dr. Simpson’s experience includes managing the St. Ives, TRESemme, Mrs. Dash, VO5, Consort, FDS and Molly McButter brands as well as work in B2B marketing, government industrial development, new product innovation and the advertising/design industries. As vice consul of industrial development for the British government, she marketed the United Kingdom as an ideal offshore manufacturing location. As a graphic designer, she developed visual communications for companies such as Amoco, Motorola, D&B, and Sara Lee subsidiaries.
At Elmhurst, Dr. Simpson has worked with students on live consulting projects with clients including The Runner’s Soul, Brookfield Zoo, Family Shelter Service, Red Frog, Elijah’s Specialty Coffee and Tea, Flight 112 and Microsoft Xbox. Several of Dr. Simpson’s student teams have had case studies accepted to national academic peer-reviewed conferences. Five of those have been accepted in double-blind academic peer-review publications.
Dr. Simpson is faculty advisor for Blue Jayathon, Elmhurst’s new dance marathon, and the College’s chapter of the American Marketing Association. In regional conferences, Elmhurst’s AMA students have earned 2nd and 4th place among hundreds of other marketing students and were among only 14 chapters asked to present in the 2015 international AMA conference in New Orleans. At the national level, ECAMA students have competed in case study competitions for national brands such as Hershey’s and Vitamin Water.
In addition to her work at Elmhurst, she runs a small private consulting practice.
Education
- Ed.D. in adult education, National Louis University (focus on creativity and transformative learning)
- MBA, Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University (concentrations in marketing, international business and finance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in visual communications, University of Kansas
Academic Organizations
- Delta Mu Delta Omicron Delta Pi
- Phi Beta Delta
- Alpha Mu Alpha
Student Faculty Research Grants
Elmhurst College Faculty-Student Summer Collaboration Grant: “Conscious Capitalism Performance Assessment and Chipotle as a Conscious Capitalism Company Case Development,” Summer 2013
My focus is facilitating active learning in and outside of the traditional classroom. I fell in love with teaching as a guest client in a friend’s marketing practicum class in 2002. I began teaching part time in 2003 and haven’t looked back.
In working with students, I focus on professional skill development and applying theory to the real world. I do this by bringing guest lecturers, clients and case studies into the classroom, facilitating analysis of students’ actual experiences, requiring students to interview target consumers as well as managers in industries of their interest, and a number of other creative in-class activities.
I challenge my students to take their learning to national conferences, internships and consulting projects in an effort to build marketable resumes and professional skills that will transform our students into high-level professionals and engaged alumni. We have some remarkable students, and it is a pleasure to facilitate their growth.
- MBA 586 Marketing Strategy and Research Practicum
- MBA 559 Managing Innovation and Technological Change
- MBA 558 Leading Change Management
- BUS 470 Unzip Your Creativity
- BUS 470 Leading Change in a Complex World
- BUS 453 Organizational Behavior
- BUS 334 Advertising
- BUS 335 Consumer Behavior
- Dattilo, F., Simpson, S., & Jacks, E. (2014). HEY! WORM!. Journal Of Critical Incidents, 773-75.
- Hartman, M., Simpson, S. (2015) AFTER HOURS, Journal of Critical Incidents, pages tbd.
- Hoggan, Chad; Simpson, Soni; Stuckey, Heather. Creative Expression in Transformative Learning : Tools and Techniques for Educators of Adults, Krieger Pub. Co., Volume Original, Malabar, Fla., (2009) reprints 2012.
- Kleeman, M., Simpson, S., & Haque, M. (2014). SECRETS, SECRETS ARE NO FUN UNLESS YOU SHARE WITH EVERYONE. Journal Of Critical Incidents, 105-106.
- Simpson, S., Fischer, B., Rohde, M. “The Conscious Capitalism Philosophy Pay Off: A Qualitative and Financial Analysis of Conscious Capitalism Corporations” Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics (ISSN# 1913-8059) volume 10(4), 2013 of the JLAE, October 2013
- Simpson, S.(2015) Chipotle Mexican Grill: Strategy with a Higher Mission or Farmed and Dangerous? Journal of Case Studies. November 2015, Vol. 33 Issue 2
- Simpson, S. (2015) Cannonball! Journal of Critical Incidents
- Simpson, S. (2015) Language Barrier, Journal of Critical Incidents